I discovered this book a couple of years ago while working at a bookstore and have been in love with it ever since. It might be because the book ticklI discovered this book a couple of years ago while working at a bookstore and have been in love with it ever since. It might be because the book tickles my funny bone, or it might be because my mom used to make me laugh by telling me to put socks on my ears and shoes on my hands. Whatever the reason, it continues to be one of my favorites.

The bright, bold colors are just irresistible. This tiny girl has a big voice, so big that she scares away all the animals she tries to befriend. ThatThe bright, bold colors are just irresistible. This tiny girl has a big voice, so big that she scares away all the animals she tries to befriend. That is until she meets a lion with a roar as big as her voice. I like that the story is about a child who finds happiness by being her unique self. She doesn’t, not even for a second, think about changing to get others to like her.

The Hungry Thing is about a starving monster-thing, who looks like a cross between a dinosaur, a dragon, and a shark. I’ve never been quite clear on wThe Hungry Thing is about a starving monster-thing, who looks like a cross between a dinosaur, a dragon, and a shark. I’ve never been quite clear on what the hungry thing is; just that he/she/it is very, very hungry. The hungry thing sits in the middle of town with a sign around its neck proclaiming “Feed Me” while the nervous townspeople ask it what it wants to eat. The townspeople have to figure out what the hungry thing is asking for. What could "Scmancakes" and "Feetloaf" mean?

Warning: This is NOT a story for bedtime! It will induce jumping, dancing, wiggling, but not sleep. It’s also one you might want to practice a coupleWarning: This is NOT a story for bedtime! It will induce jumping, dancing, wiggling, but not sleep. It’s also one you might want to practice a couple of times before reading it for an audience. Each child in the book has their own particular way of wokka-wokka-ing. It has a great, but subtle message: “Nobody wokkas in the same wokka way.” Cecil’s illustrations are full of movement and color, and Bluemle’s rhythmic rap-like verse will make everyone want to wokka-wokka.

Tacky is a penguin that just doesn’t seem to fit in with his friends, Goodly, Lovely, Angel, Neatly, and Perfect. His friends like to dive gracefullyTacky is a penguin that just doesn’t seem to fit in with his friends, Goodly, Lovely, Angel, Neatly, and Perfect. His friends like to dive gracefully into the arctic waters. Tacky does cannonballs while wearing an inner tube. Tacky’s friends try to ignore his odd habits until the day a group of furry hunters happen upon the penguins.

This book is about a guy with the most festive, dynamic, mysterious, intriguing, crazy hair you’ve ever seen. The story takes you on a journey to discThis book is about a guy with the most festive, dynamic, mysterious, intriguing, crazy hair you’ve ever seen. The story takes you on a journey to discover the amazing wonders inside Mister’s crazy hair. Young Bonnie, armed with a comb, asks Mister about his crazy hair. Mister replies that there are birds, dancers, musicians, pirates, carousel horses, hot air balloons, and more. Bonnie tries to tame Mister’s hair by combing, but she gets pulled into the land of the crazy hair.

Dogs in cars, dogs at stoplights, dogs on bicycles, dogs in boats, dogs playing baseball, dogs in hats, and finally a huge dog party on the top of a tDogs in cars, dogs at stoplights, dogs on bicycles, dogs in boats, dogs playing baseball, dogs in hats, and finally a huge dog party on the top of a tree. This has been my brother's favorite book for years. I asked my brother why he loved the book so much and he said he just liked that dogs got to drive cars. Although it doesn’t really have a plot, it does teach opposites and colors, “The green dog is up. The yellow dog is down.”

Charlie's younger sister Lola refuses to eat certain foods. She has a very long list, starting with carrots and ending with the most horrible of all –Charlie's younger sister Lola refuses to eat certain foods. She has a very long list, starting with carrots and ending with the most horrible of all – tomatoes. Lola emphatically states that she will “absolutely never not ever eat a tomato.” So Charlie hatches a plan to trick Lola into eating her dinner. A great story about siblings.

Mrs. Tuttle is a teacher with 25 children in her class all named Matthew. How does she tell them apart? Matthew A. is extremely affectionate and MatthMrs. Tuttle is a teacher with 25 children in her class all named Matthew. How does she tell them apart? Matthew A. is extremely affectionate and Matthew B. simply adores bandaids and…so on through to Matthew Y. who only yodels. And what happens at the end of the book? Mrs. Tuttle gets another student in her class, can you guess his name?

Recently I put together a knights and princesses themed storytime and rediscovered this book. The illustrations are classic Tomie DePaola. The peopleRecently I put together a knights and princesses themed storytime and rediscovered this book. The illustrations are classic Tomie DePaola. The people are small and round and there’s nothing scary about this dragon. The first half of the book alternates between the knight and dragon. Many of the pages are divided into smaller panels (rather like a comic strip) that show how the knight and dragon are progressing in their studies. The simple text is extremely minimal, some pages are completely wordless, however the illustrations are detailed (but not at all busy. DePaola is a master of simplicity).

This is a book about a rhino that lives at the zoo. Unfortunately, the zookeeper in charge of putting up the signs is a little confused. He puts up aThis is a book about a rhino that lives at the zoo. Unfortunately, the zookeeper in charge of putting up the signs is a little confused. He puts up a sign that says “Hippo” in front of the rhino. As people walk up and say, “Hippo,” the rhino corrects each of them with a, “No, rhino!” There are just over 20 words and most of them rhyme with rhino, “Fix the sign-o!” The fun is knowing that no matter what, the rhino will say, “No, rhino!” to each zoo-goer. Even though there aren’t a lot of words, it’s still a great book to read aloud.

This is the story R.R. Pottle, a man who loves hats. His father loved canes and his mother loved umbrellas. They lived together in the Pottle mansion.This is the story R.R. Pottle, a man who loves hats. His father loved canes and his mother loved umbrellas. They lived together in the Pottle mansion. But then his parents pass away and he’s all alone. R. R. dreams of finding his future wife in the rain. He knows she will be wearing the perfect hat. This small book, endorsed by Reading Rainbow, has a wonderful wistful quality to it. I like that the adults in the book are modeling good behavior. With the exception of the hat shop owner, the characters are well-mannered and polite. They treat each other with respect and expect others to do the same.

Described as a lift-the-flap book, this board book is about an unnamed narrator who writes to the zoo asking for a pet. Unfortunately, the zoo is a liDescribed as a lift-the-flap book, this board book is about an unnamed narrator who writes to the zoo asking for a pet. Unfortunately, the zoo is a little confused and they keep sending pets that just won’t do. Each animal is delivered in a crate or a basket and you have to lift the flap to see what’s inside. After sending back lots of potential pets (the elephant was too big, the giraffe too tall, the frog too jumpy), the zoo finally sends the perfect pet, a dog.

Skippyjon Jones is a Siamese Cat, but he’d much rather be a Chihuahua! His mother sends him to him room for his un-cat-like behavior, telling him to sSkippyjon Jones is a Siamese Cat, but he’d much rather be a Chihuahua! His mother sends him to him room for his un-cat-like behavior, telling him to spend some time thinking about what it means to be a cat. Skippyjon has other ideas. He pulls a sword and a mask out of his toy box, transforms himself into Skippito Friskito and he’s off on an imaginative adventure through his closet to old Mexico. There he meets a group of colorful dogs, he dubs them the Chimichangos, and defeats the evil Alfredo Buzzito, El Blimp Bumlebeeto Bandito, who steals all the frijoles from the Chimichangos.

Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge is a small boy with a big name. He lives next door to a retirement home and he’s friends with all the residents, froWilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge is a small boy with a big name. He lives next door to a retirement home and he’s friends with all the residents, from Mr. Hosking who tells him crazy stories to Miss Mitchell who walks with a wooden stick. But Wilfrid’s favorite is Miss Nancy Alison Delacourt. She has a name as long as his and he tells her all his secrets. Wilfrid is confused when his parents tell him that Miss Nancy has lost her memory. He’s not quite sure what a memory is, so he asks his friends at the home.

The illustrations are soft and some of the edges are a bit blurry, colors are sundrenched and faded. The color and texture is appropriate since it’s a book about memories. The The text is simple and to the point. It’s a sentimental story, but the prose isn’t dripping with sugary phrases.

The Little Blue Truck drives along sleepy country roads. As he drives he makes friends with the animals along the road. His horn beeps at each one andThe Little Blue Truck drives along sleepy country roads. As he drives he makes friends with the animals along the road. His horn beeps at each one and they croak, cow, oink, or baaa back. Suddenly, a huge yellow dump truck zooms rudely past the Little Blue Truck. Unfortunately, rain has turned the road to mud and the dump truck is soon spinning his wheels in the muck. Little Blue Truck to the rescue!

The illustrations use a palette of browns, yellows, and greens to depict the countryside, which makes the Little Blue Truck stand out. I love the smears and spatters of mud colored paint used to show the trucks stuck in the mud. The message of the book is very clear. As the dump truck says, “Now I see a lot depends on helping hands and helping friends.” This story can be used to start a discussion about the value of friendship and what it means to be a good friend.

This is the story of two boys are the same, same, but different. Although Elliot lives in America and Kailash in India, the pen pals discover their siThis is the story of two boys are the same, same, but different. Although Elliot lives in America and Kailash in India, the pen pals discover their similarities through letters and drawings. They both take the bus to school, although one is a yellow bus and the other powered by bicycle. They both live in cities, although the sights on the streets differ. The illustrations are combination of childlike drawings and paper collage. Pages are marked with an E (Elliot) or K (Kailash) to make it clear which world the pages are depicting. Although Kosstecki-Shaw points out the cultural differences, she does so in a very positive and celebratory way.

Papa is putting his daughter, the little red chicken, to bed when she insists on a bedtime story. Papa agrees but only if the little red chicken promiPapa is putting his daughter, the little red chicken, to bed when she insists on a bedtime story. Papa agrees but only if the little red chicken promises not to interrupt the story. So Papa begins the story of Hansel and Gretel. The witch is about to capture the children, but the little red chicken just can’t stand it and interrupts the story. Poor Papa struggles through 2 more classic fairy tales before throwing in the towel. But the little red chicken gets the last word.

This book is great for a fractured fairy tales storytime since it skewers 3 recognizable classics. It doesn’t spend too much time on each bedtime book that Papa reads, but the stories are easily recognizable to most kids so they’ll be able to follow. It’s a fun story for kids who always ask, “why?” It’s refreshing to read a book that features chickens that doesn’t take place on a farm. There’s no clucking, mooing, baaing, or neighing.

There’s nothing like a liberated and independent princess to make my day! And Princess Elizabeth, aka the Paper Bag Princess, is nothing if not liberaThere’s nothing like a liberated and independent princess to make my day! And Princess Elizabeth, aka the Paper Bag Princess, is nothing if not liberated and independent.

Besides being one of the pluckiest princesses in picture book history, I adore the fact that the Elizabeth does not wear pink, nor does she look like a sparkle monster threw up on her. It’s not that I hate the color pink or sparkles it’s just that they seem to have taken over picture books. It’s refreshing to see story about a princess that emphasizes her intellect rather than her beauty.

Developed by Munsch while he was a preschool teacher, this story is perfect for kids around that age. The story moves along quickly with just 2 or 3 sentences a page. The emphasis is on the action and dialogue rather than the description, which makes it a fun book to read aloud because you can use different voices for each character. The illustrations are done in pen and ink with moderate use of color. Like the text the pictures are straight forward, they aren’t complex and they don’t assault your eyes with splashy colors.

This intricate, yet simple book is about an elephant who finds a thingamabob. He asks all his friends, from the blue bear to the feathery ostrich, butThis intricate, yet simple book is about an elephant who finds a thingamabob. He asks all his friends, from the blue bear to the feathery ostrich, but none of them can figure it out. As it begins to rain the elephant realizes what readers will have already figured out – The thingamabob is an umbrella!

The illustrations are childlike, with lovely embellishments in unexpected places. At first glance the umbrella is simply bright red, however if you take a moment to look you’ll see that there’s a design of swirls, raindrops, and clouds on it. It’s the little touches like this that make the illustrations so fascinating.

Betsy is a frog who is bored of hopping and jumping. So she decides to experiment and soon she is leaping and twisting. Dancing! Unfortunately, her grBetsy is a frog who is bored of hopping and jumping. So she decides to experiment and soon she is leaping and twisting. Dancing! Unfortunately, her grassy dancing spot is interrupted by a group of frogs who insist there is no room for dancing, just hopping and jumping. Betsy and the other frogs learn that diversity is a good thing, you can hop, jump, AND dance!

Walsh’s cut-paper collage illustrations feature speckled frogs with large eyes and magnificent leg muscles. Although the frogs aren’t capable of facial expressions, the movements of their bodies jumping, hopping, leaping, and twirling make up for this inability. The text is concise, with just one sentence to each page.

Shadow is a stunning nearly wordless book. The story is about a young girl who plays make-believe in her garage. On the left hand page you see the girShadow is a stunning nearly wordless book. The story is about a young girl who plays make-believe in her garage. On the left hand page you see the girl and her surroundings drawn in black and white with charcoal and pencil. On the right hand page are the shadows of the girl and the objects. At first the shadows are merely mirror images of their solid partners. But then the girl makes a butterfly with her hands and the butterfly glows into life on the shadow page. Soon the shadows are transformed into jungle creatures and the girl’s shadow dances among them.

Because the book is almost wordless, make sure you take time to look at and talk about the illustrations on each page. Ask the kids to point out different details and then fill in the gaps with questions and comments. You may want to flip back through the book afterwards and talk about how different objects and their shadows transform as the book progresses.

This book is about a very lonely chameleon. He tries to change himself to look like other animals and even objects (my favorite is the cowboy boot), uThis book is about a very lonely chameleon. He tries to change himself to look like other animals and even objects (my favorite is the cowboy boot), until finally he finds another chameleon, decked out in all the colors of the rainbow!

Each 2 page spread features two words. A color or pattern on the left hand page and a noun on the right hand page. The illustrations, done in colored pencil on rough watercolor paper, show the chameleon’s attempts to look like his potential friends. The watercolor paper lends texture to the illustrations. Even better the page featuring the color white includes a nearly invisible chameleon embossed on the paper. You may think the page is empty, but run your fingers over the page and you’ll find him hiding. The very simple text and large pictures make it perfect for toddlers. Although older kid will get a kick out of the way the chameleon nearly ties himself in knots trying to mimic others.

Brontorina Apatosaurus is a dinosaur who dreams of becoming a ballerina. She goes to Madame Lucille’s Dance Academy. At first Madame Lucille and her sBrontorina Apatosaurus is a dinosaur who dreams of becoming a ballerina. She goes to Madame Lucille’s Dance Academy. At first Madame Lucille and her students resist the idea of a dancing dinosaur; She doesn’t even have the right shoes! But Brontorina is so determined that Madame Lucille cannot refuse. Brontorina gracefully executes her arabesques and jetés, but the simple fact is that she’s too big for the dance studio.Madame Lucille decides the problem is not that the dinosaur is too big for the studio; it’s that the studio is not big enough for Brontorina. Now Madame teaches her students in the meadow of a farm and it’s big enough for everyone, humans and dinosaurs, to dance.

This story about following your dreams has colorful and dynamic illustrations. Randy Cecil has managed to make ballet look natural for a dinosaur.

This rhyming book compares 11 babies, each with 10 little fingers and 10 little toes. The illustrations, in Oxenbury’s signature style, feature babiesThis rhyming book compares 11 babies, each with 10 little fingers and 10 little toes. The illustrations, in Oxenbury’s signature style, feature babies of all complexions and hair colors. There are babies born in the mountains, city babies, and babies who live in tents, but all the babies, regardless of nationality or skin color, have 10 little fingers and 10 little toes.

Perfect for a lap sit storytime, the illustrations show the babies laughing and playing together with close ups on fingers and toes at appropriate times. Each time you get to the fingers and toes line, help your child wiggle their fingers and toes. If you can, take off your shoes and socks, so you can wiggle your fingers and toes too.

This luminous book describes and illustrates the many feelings and emotions that people can go through in a day, a week, or an hour. Each color is assThis luminous book describes and illustrates the many feelings and emotions that people can go through in a day, a week, or an hour. Each color is associated with a different emotion. The vivid paintings capture the highs of a yellow “busy, buzzy bee” day and the lows of a gray, motionless day. The narrator points out that sometimes you can have such a mixed-up day that you just don’t know who or what you are, but that in the end it’s ok, because you will always be you.

Frank was a monster who wanted to dance. So he gets all gussied up, throws some ants in his pants, and he’s off to the theater. There he wows the audiFrank was a monster who wanted to dance. So he gets all gussied up, throws some ants in his pants, and he’s off to the theater. There he wows the audience with his spectacular moves, until his brain begins to unzip. It’s all downhill from there, with an eyeball bouncing away and arms falling out of sleeves. The audience flees in terror, but Frank just says to himself with a one-eyed glance, “I might be a monster, but man can I dance!”

Yes, this book is a little bit gruesome and it’s definitely not for the faint of heart. It never fails to elicit screams of “eeeewww” and “gross!” when Frank’s brain falls onto the floor. However, if you’ve got a room full of kindergarten or elementary age boys, this book will not fail you.

This is the story of a poodle with a very unfortunate name: Trixie Twinkle Toes Trot-a-Lot Delight. She lives in the lap of luxury with her owner, MadThis is the story of a poodle with a very unfortunate name: Trixie Twinkle Toes Trot-a-Lot Delight. She lives in the lap of luxury with her owner, Mademoiselle Verity Brulee, who makes sure that Trixie is always a model of poodle perfection. Trixie hates it and she repeatedly tries to get Verity to understand her plight, but instead Verity takes Trixie to vets and doctors. That is until Trixie rescues a dog from drowning in a puddle.

This book is best for a slightly older audience (6+). The story is a little long and the illustrations are complex. If you’re reading this book for storytime it’s a good idea to memorize most of the text. The words change font and curl all over the pages. The illustrations are also quite busy, with lots of patterned wallpapers, so that can make reading the words a bit difficult especially at an angle or upside down.

This beautifully illustrated poetry collection is unique in that each poem is a reverso, a poetic form created by the author. Each poem is meant to beThis beautifully illustrated poetry collection is unique in that each poem is a reverso, a poetic form created by the author. Each poem is meant to be read from top to bottom and then again from bottom to top. The poems focus on different fairy tales, from Cinderella to Jack and the Beanstalk. For instance, the poem about Little Red Hiding Hood, “In The Hood”, when read top to bottom is from Little Red’s perspective. Read it again from the bottom up and suddenly you get a wolf’s eye view.

If you haven’t explored poetry with your children, this is the perfect place to start. As one of those people who often struggles with poetry, I was impressed at the accessibility of these poems. It helps that the poems are about familiar stories and that each one is short.